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ROMANOV FAMILY PETS: THE ELEPHANT

Tsarevich Alexei feeding the Romanov family pet elephant

One of numerous criticisms by St. Petersburg society of the last ruling Romanov family was what they perceived as their frivolous waste of money. An example used was often the very costly upkeep of the pet elephant at Tsarskoe Selo, which cost the Russian imperial treasury a whopping 18, 000 rubles annually – a very significant sum at that time.

ROMANOV FAMILY PETS

Grand Duchess Anastasia with her dog Jimmy, Grand Duchess Tatiana with her French bulldog Ortipo, and Tsesarevich Alexei with this spaniel Joy. Only Joy survived the revolution.

All the members of the Romanov family were animal lovers, and each imperial child had pets: dogs, cats, horses, and even a pet elephant. The children even had a little pet cemetery where they buried their beloved animals, which was located on the Children’s Island in the Alexander Park. They visited it often and brought fresh flowers…Read more ROMANOV FAMILY PETS